06 Oct 10 What Are You Doing to Change Your Meeting Planning Up?
The same meetings over and over can be boring and might be a great way to have the management and/or powers that be wonder how important a meeting planner is. On the other hand, a meeting planner that is always trying new ideas for meetings is highly desirable even if they fail. After all, it is difficult to justify the cost of a scheduler after a company gets into a rhythm but if that scheduler seems to be constantly trying to improve efficiency, then they are certainly worth keeping as they are nothing if not a team player.
The question becomes one of how a meeting planner can continue to keep meetings fresh. Here are a few great ideas:
- Check in with other meeting planners online. There are many meeting planning related forums online and that is usually a good sign that there are professionals looking to network on some level.
- Listen to what people in the office say, then hear them. Are people complaining or offering ideas? Can those ideas be made practical?
- Learn everything about sales and psychology. Selling meeting ideas is no different than selling anything else. If the first few ideas don’t get off the ground then it is unlikely that further ideas will fare much better.
Tags: Efficiency, Forums, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Planning, Online Meeting, People, Psychology, Rhythm, Rsquo, Scheduler, Team Player
06 Jul 10 How to Plan Travel Incentives
Travel incentives can be one of the most difficult things to plan for employees, employers, customers, and even employers. Here are some easy to follow tips for planning travel incentives:
All inclusive travel incentives such as an incentive cruise are easy to budget, but they may not be very personal. Travel incentives are only incentives when they are remembered and thought of fondly. An additional excursion or bonus gift can be the difference between a trip that is remembered and appreciated for years, and one that bores the recipient(s) to tears.
Not everyone gets to go on any excursion, so make some criteria. Do not randomly or purposely assign people to go on trips unless there is a reason. Instead, allow multiple people or parties to compete for the privilege of traveling on the company dime. Those that do not get to go should be thanked for their effort and it might be worth planning a secondary incentive in order for those that tried to earn a trip on the company dime to feel appreciated.
All inclusive travel may or may not be tax deductible, so check with a qualified accountant for further details. In some cases, it might be possible to add business-related events such as meetings to a trip in order for it to qualify for a tax deduction.
Tags: Bonus Gift, Budget, Company Dime, Excursion, Incentive Cruise, People, Personal Travel, Planning Travel, Privilege, Qualified Accountant, Related Events, Tax Deduction, Travel Incentives
16 Apr 10 After the Meeting is Over
Everyone enjoys and needs positive feedback. Negative feedback can be very hard to take, especially if it is not constructive. For example, we are all quick to tell our supplier if the order is wrong yet seldom send our compliments when things run smoothly. Do you seek feedback and if so, from whom?
Have you ever included a customer satisfaction survey in an event packet or asked guests to fill out a feedback form before they went home? This can be a good way to get a fix on what worked for meeting participants and what did not. You can’t please everyone but when several people complain about the same thing, it indicates a problem that needs to be addressed.
Do you check in with vendors and convention centers that you have used? A courtesy call after the even can strengthen your relationship with vendors and make the next planning period go more smoothly. Feedback from a hotel or convention center helps a meeting planner tweak the next event, perhaps in small ways, to make it a positive experience for everyone.
Don’t forget to give feedback as well. Even in the most nightmarish situation, someone did something right. Never allow your frustration with glitches to overshadow your appreciation for jobs well done.
Tags: Compliments, Courtesy Call, Customer Satisfaction Survey, Frustration, Glitches, Jobs, Meeting Planner, Negative Feedback, Nightmarish Situation, Participants, People, Positive Feedback, Relationship, Rsquo, Tweak
14 Apr 10 Breaking the Ice on Your Next Meeting
Raising the energy level of an early morning meeting can be quite a challenge. People head for the coffee and tend to gather with familiar faces. This can make things a little awkward for new people in the group and makes it difficult to generate new group dynamics. The right icebreaker can shake things up a bit and get people interested in what is to come.
One fun way to create new groups and start a team building activity is to distribute bits of a building set among the participants. People who hold Legos go to the Lego station, anyone with a Tinker Toy piece heads to the Tinker Toy table, and so forth. Each team has 15 minutes to create a model of a concept on the day’s agenda.
The exercise could focus more on introducing relative strangers to one another. Break the group into smaller parts using the same method, this time using small pieces of candy. This time the group members play 2 out of 3, meaning they write down 3 things about themselves, 2 of which are the truth and 1 that is a lie. The more outrageous the items, the more fun group members will have separating truth from lies.
Tags: 15 Minutes, 3 Things, Breaking The Ice, Candy, Coffee, Energy Level, Exercise, Familiar Faces, Group Dynamics, Group Members, Lego, Morning Meeting, New Groups, Participants, People, Play 2, Relative Strangers, Small Pieces, Team Building Activity, Tinker Toy
23 Nov 09 Planning Government Meetings
Even though the trend has been to back down on meetings due to recession guidelines set down by the government, there is still a critical niche for meeting planners in the government itself. Although you will have to understand more rules and regulations, planning events for public organizations can be very rewarding and lucrative.
A specialty in government meetings is perfect for those interested in politics. If you’re not, this will be tedious and boring work for you. However, some of us love the daily bustle of the government. Also, truly creative people know that the best outcomes often happen with more restrictions–more constraints means less time thinking about how to go about something. That way time can be spent on real creativity.
Government meetings are a challenge, but this is a good thing for creative types like us. There are often very limited funds available for a government meeting, but rather than cut corners on quality a good event planner will understand how to use the funds wisely. Cutting corners is simply creating waste.
Your career as a government meeting planner can start locally, but expand into international meetings and events. People interested in other cultures will find planning international ceremonies of particular interest. There is a niche in government planning for almost anyone interested in politics and culture.
Tags: Boring Work, Bustle, Career, Constraints, Creative Types, Creativity, Cultures, Cutting Corners, Event Planner, Government Meetings, International Meetings, Limited Funds, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meetings And Events, Niche, People, Public Organizations, Recession
02 Nov 09 Learn How To Create An Event That Will Generate Revenue For You!
When you are thinking about getting a great event together and making it special, you will want to use a little bit of your creative mind to make it great. You will want to learn how to create an event that will generate revenue for you. You will be able to make a great profit with your event and this will be a great success.
If you are trying to plan something that will bring you a little bit of profit, you will have to spend a little bit too. You will want to make sure that you are able to find the funds to spend on your special event. This is something that will be a great idea for you and one that will defiantly work out in the end. (more…)
Tags: Creative Mind, Entertainment, Find Money, Fundraisers, Great Event, Little Bit, Love, Need Money, People, Reason, Right Start, Success
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Corporate Meeting Planner Resources
- Cruise line Expansion in Chinese Market Good News for Meeting PlannersChina is becoming a popular destination for MICE events due to its rich cultural heritage, beautiful natural landscapes and most of all - its high economic growth. Everyone wants to do business in China right now. Naturally, that translates into lots of meetings, trade shows, conferences and other events. According to The China Incentive, Business […]
- Time to step out of the ZoneSo often we find ourselves repeating the same patterns both professionally and personally because it feels “safe”. While that perceived safety may or may not be real, it explains why so many people feel their lives are in a rut. It is that comfort zone that so many long for that ultimately is their worst enemy. In order […]
- Stimulating Your Attendees in a Positive WayAfter reading the article Boost the Brain Computer, Don’t Crash It, I got to thinking about how foods definitely have an effect on mood and concentration. Anyone who has ever seen a child at a birthday party, loaded with candy, snow cones, cake and soda can attest to the fact that while the sugar will […]
26 Aug 09 Your Own Meeting
You have already planned many meetings for many clients. If you are employed at a hotel as a meeting planner, you have encountered more meetings than the self-employed planner. However, have you ever stopped for a moment to look those meetings over and analyze their points? You should, and that should happen in a meeting with a notebook and a cup of whatever you drink during the day.
Why? Because you need some private time to figure out what worked and what didn’t, and work on ways to deal with both. For instance, if that three-day conference of small business people just got average reviews, find out why. You should already be getting some comment cards back, or maybe you have collected them personally. In any event, you have some feedback. Maybe the client has called you. (more…)
Tags: Comment Cards, Imaginary Friend, Imaginary Friends, Lunch, Many Meetings, Meet Friends, Meeting Planner, Notebook, People, Private Time, Small Business, Variations